The department is a lively community that is recognised internationally as one of the top centres for research and teaching in development studies.

Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our courses offer excellent training for a career in international development or for advanced study, and attract students of the highest calibre from across the world.
“I had waited for 10 years before my dream to study in Oxford became a reality and the experience was truly beyond expectation”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
Our students are taught to develop as critical and independent thinkers and when they leave us they are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need to bring about real change.
“My time at Oxford strengthened my critical analysis and provided me with a unique interdisciplinary grounding in history, politics and economics that has equipped me well in dealing with public policy issues and program development strategy.”
Professors Loren Landau and Alexander Betts have been honoured with awards from the Ethnicity, Nationalism and Migration Section of the International Studies Association (ENMISA).
Professor Landau, Professor of Migration and Development at ODID, won ENMISA’s 2021 ‘Distinguished Scholar Award’ in the field of ethnicity, nationalism and migration, presented at the ISA annual meeting in Nashville.
“It is humbling to be recognised by the colleagues you most respect,” Professor Landau said. “More importantly, it centres the ‘global south’ as a site of theory generation and endorses the kind of empirically informed, justice-oriented and equitable research practice I continue to promote.’
A panel was convened at the meeting to celebrate Professor Landau’s work on ‘Africa in migration research’.
Professor Betts, Professor of Forced Migration and International Affairs at ODID, won the ENMISA Distinguished Book Award for his book The Wealth of Refugees: How Displaced People Can Build Economies (Oxford University Press, 2021).
He also received an ‘Honourable Mention’ award for the ‘Best Article or Book Chapter’ of 2021 for his article ‘Refugees and Patronage: A Political History of Uganda’s “Progressive” Refugee Policies’ published in African Affairs.
“I’m delighted that The Wealth of Refugees has received this award from the ENMISA section of ISA - especially now, at a time when it’s important to remind people that refugees can make important economic contributions to receiving societies”, Professor Betts said. “Although the book focuses mainly on Africa, many of its arguments are equally relevant to the current European context.”